JP2523224Y2 - Vending machine product transfer equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine having a product outlet at an upper portion thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an automatic product outlet is provided at an upper portion so that a customer can easily take out a sold product in a natural posture while standing without having to take a posture such as bending down. Vending machines have been proposed.

In this case, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-147481, the structure of the merchandise selling mechanism is to place the merchandise delivered from the merchandise storage section on a laterally-moving conveyor provided at the lower part in the vending machine. Then, at the horizontal feed end, the product is transferred to an elevator arranged in the vertical direction, the elevator is driven to raise the product, and is conveyed to the upper product outlet.

[0004] As described above, the conventional product conveying device includes a horizontal conveying mechanism such as a belt conveyor for moving the product laterally downward.
Then, a vertical transport mechanism such as an elevator for transporting the product to the upper product outlet is disposed on one end side.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, such a conventional product transport apparatus has two transport mechanisms, so that the mechanism is complicated, the apparatus becomes large and the cost is increased, and the transport of the product is performed by two transport mechanisms. When the product is transferred from the horizontal transport mechanism to the vertical transport mechanism because of the mechanism, the product may not be delivered properly, and the product does not go out to the exit and the customer cannot receive the product. There is also a problem that the reliability of the sales operation is lost.

Further, there is a disadvantage that it takes a long time to sell the product because the two product transport mechanisms are operated during the continuous purchase of the product.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive product transport device for a vending machine, which is mechanically simple, can shorten the product transport time, and is relatively inexpensive.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vending machine in which a product from a product storage column is sent out to a lower product front outlet and then conveyed to an upper product outlet.
A forward / reverse drive motor, a vertically disposed shaft that rotates in conjunction with this motor, a pair of upper and lower opposing interlocking sprockets fixed to the shaft, and a vertically extending movement between the interlocking sprockets Opposing interlocking chains, an elevating plate that is mounted horizontally between the interlocking chains, and that receives the product from the merchandise outlet at the bottom of the main body, and that contacts the elevating plate and rises diagonally as the elevating plate moves up and down. And a product lateral transfer plate that slides on the elevating plate to move the product laterally to the product take-out position.

[0009]

When a product is sent out according to a sales command and the user rides on the lift plate, the motor is driven, and the interlocking chain, which horizontally mounts the lift plate, rotates to raise the lift plate.
Then, the lifting plate comes into contact with the product lateral transfer plate, and exerts a force to move the product lateral transfer plate laterally. As a result, the product lateral transfer plate slides on the elevating plate, and conveys the product to the product outlet position.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vending machine provided with the product conveying device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the product conveying device of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a vending machine, 2 denotes a product storage room surrounded by a heat insulating wall 2a, and a plurality of serpentine-type product storage columns 3 are disposed in front and rear thereof. A plurality of these groups of product storage columns 3 are also arranged in the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the main body 1. The front opening of the product storage room 2 is closed by an insulated door 4 in the warehouse. In the insulated door 4 in the warehouse, a plurality of product outlets 5 are formed in the left-right direction corresponding to the product storage columns 3. At the same time, each product outlet 5 is provided with an insulated sales door 6 which is pivotally supported at its upper end and is always in a closed state, and is opened and rotated forward by a product M which is released and dropped at the time of sale. I have.
A commodity delivery device 7 that operates based on a sales command is provided below each of the commodity storage columns 3, and delivers the commodity M one by one. The sent product M slides down the product drop chute 8 and exits through the product discharge port 5.

A front door 9 is provided on the front of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable, and is located outside the heat insulating door 4 in the refrigerator. A product outlet 10 is provided above the front door 9, and the product transport device 1 receives the product M sent from the product outlet 5 and lifts and discharges the product M to the product outlet 10.
2 are provided inside.

The goods transport device 12 is stretched over sprockets 15, 15, 16, 16 which rotate in conjunction with each other,
Interlocking chains 17, 18 arranged opposite to each other on both sides
An elevating plate 19 for receiving the product, which is horizontally installed between the interlocking chains 17 and 18, is provided in contact with the elevating plate 19, and the oblique movement of the elevating plate 19 causes the product M to be laterally transported. Product transfer plate 21 movable along a guide groove 20 (a pair of which is provided on both sides) of the sprocket 1
It comprises a pair of upper and lower shafts 22 and 23 for mounting and fixing 5, 15, 16, and 16, a motor 24 capable of driving the one shaft 23 to rotate forward and reverse, and a power transmission belt 25 thereof.

The product transport device 12 will be further described with reference to FIG. 3. The elevating plate 19 is mounted and supported horizontally by supports 26, 26 attached to a part of the interlocking chains 17, 18. Until the product M is sent out, it stops at the lower position as shown in the two-dot chain line and stands by for the reception of the product.

On the other hand, the product lateral transfer plate 21 supports guide protrusions 27 (the other rear guide protrusion is not shown) projecting from both sides by fitting them into the guide grooves 20. The product lateral transfer plate 21 is also normally lowered to the lower left end of the guide groove 20 by its own weight as shown in a two-dot chain line diagram.

Here, when the elevating plate 19 rises, it comes into contact with the product lateral transfer plate 21. The lifting force of the lifting plate 19 exerts a force to move the product lateral transfer plate 21 obliquely upward along the guide groove 20. As a result, the product horizontal transfer plate 21 rises while sliding on the elevating plate 19, and pushes the product M to the product outlet 10 side.

The product transporting device 12 is accommodated in a device storage box 28 so that the product M does not fall on the front and rear wall surfaces even when the elevating plate 19 is raised. Reference numeral 29 denotes a speed reducer. Reference numeral 30 denotes a drive pulley fixed to the shaft 23, on which a power transmission belt 25 is hung.

Next, a description will be given of a product transport operation by the product transport device 12 configured as described above.

When the product delivery device 7 is operated by the sales command and the product M is delivered from the product delivery port 5 and gets on the elevating plate 19 (FIG. 4A), the motor 24 rotates forward and the interlocking sprocket 15 , 15, 16, and 16 to rotate the interlocking chains 17, 18 in the direction of arrow a in FIG. Therefore, the lifting plate 19 starts to rise. Then, the lifting plate 19 contacts the bottom surface of the product horizontal transfer plate 21 (FIG. 4B).

When the lifting plate 19 is further raised, a lateral moving force is applied to the product lateral transfer plate 21, and is slid obliquely upward along the guide groove 20 while sliding laterally on the lifting plate 19. Go. As a result, the product horizontal transfer plate 21 transfers the product M to the right (FIG. 4C). When the product horizontal transfer plate 21 finally reaches the upper end position of the guide groove 20, the product M is laterally moved to the position of the product outlet 10, and is carried out to the product outlet 10. At this point, the motor 24 stops.

When the product M is taken out by the customer, the motor 24 rotates in the reverse direction, and along with the lowering of the elevating plate 19, the product horizontal transport plate 21 also returns, and returns to the state shown in FIG.

By repeating the above series of operations, the product M is lifted and discharged to the product outlet 10. It is more preferable to provide a rotatable roller or the like on the surface of the product lateral transfer plate 21 which is in contact with the elevating plate 19 in order to reduce frictional resistance.

[0023]

[Effect of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, as the elevating plate receiving the product from the product outlet continues to rise,
The product lateral transfer plate in contact with the elevating plate moves the product laterally to the product outlet.

[0024] With this, when lifting the product delivered from the lower product outlet to the upper product outlet, the vertical movement and the lateral movement can be performed at the same time, so that the transport time can be reduced. . Further, the structure of the lifting mechanism is simple, and the cost is low.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vending machine provided with a product transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the product conveying device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a transport operation diagram showing a state in which a product is transported to an upper product outlet by the product transport device of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 3 Merchandise storage column 5 Merchandise outlet 10 Merchandise outlet 12 Merchandise transfer device 17, 18 Interlocking chain 20 Guide groove 21 Merchandise lateral transfer board M Merchandise

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A vending machine in which a product from a product storage column is sent out below a front part of a main body and then conveyed to an upper product outlet. A vertically arranged shaft that rotates with a pair of upper and lower opposing interlocking sprockets fixed to the shaft, an opposing interlocking chain stretched between the interlocking sprockets and moving in the up and down direction, and The lifting plate that is mounted horizontally on the lower part of the main body and receives the product from the product outlet at the lower part of the main body, contacts the lifting plate, rises obliquely with the vertical movement of the lifting plate, and slides on the lifting plate to slide the product. A product transport device for a vending machine, comprising: a product lateral transfer plate for laterally moving to a product outlet position.